Carl, let me tell you. I am 63 years old and play from any tee under 6000 yds. Generally in the 5400-5700 range. I'm not fooling anybody. I hit it about 200 off the tee and I like the idea of hitting irons and hybrids on second shots. To me the name of the game is to try to shoot YOUR lowest score and have some fun. To me this tee by age stuff is just another way for guys to get an edge on a bet. That's why I stopped playing in money games. Between sandbaggers and the win-at-all cost guys, it wasn't fun anymore.

i play from whites at a less than 6500 yard course here in Vegas mostly retired golfers ( me not included) as I still work full time. But most of the older players do play from senior tees and really enjoy playing more as. I see it and yes playing with someone playing a different tee is a pain for sure but in order to enjoy the best game in the world you have do what is best for you to enjoy golf

Absolutely you should move up !!!
I currently play with a regular foursome three times per week. One of my friends plays to an 8 but only if he plays from the #3 tees. (our course has four sets of tees identified by # not by color). The other two play to 14 and 15 handicaps and also play from the #3 tees on two of our nines. They play the #2 tees when we play what we refer to as Death Valley Nine. I play to a 6 or 7 and play from the back tees simply because that is where we have to play from for the club championship and I need the practice. The staggered tees we play works well for our matches and none of us have any issues with which tees someone plays. The whole idea is to enjoy the round. When you need to hit 3 woods to reach par fours on your second shot, it is hardly enjoyable, and the course was not designed for that. I very much doubt that the architect designed the green to be welcoming to a three wood shot.
Which tees you play should not carry any stigma. Pick the tees that play best for you and enjoy. The handicap index gets adjusted for that so there should be no issues.
I just hope I can still play when I am 70 :) Remember - get out and enjoy !!!!
Darius

Move up, I play from the mens tees and sometimes when I play with a little older guys (they all hit from the senior tees) I move to there tees to keep the play moving faster and I also go down a club to even the playing field.

I think you are processing it too much. I am in my mid 40s and don't get to play as much as I did - I moved up from the tips to the men's tee....it is much better for my game now.

Move on up - have fun and enjoy the game.

Stick with the "Men's Tees" for the remainder of the year and work on the short game to still par those long par 4's. Then next year when you get the gift of playing the "Senior Tees", maybe you'll turn those pars into birdies with your great short game.

Do what makes the game more enjoyable to you. If you find that you like playing the senior tees because you get the green quicker or with irons instead of using woods all the time then play the senior tees.

First off, play whatever tees that are comfortable for you and your game. Do not worry about anyone else's game. Here are a couple rules of thumb to keep in mind:
1. If your age plus your full 18 hole handicap is equal or grater than 90, then play it forward one set of tees. 18 hole handicap is 25 and age is 66 equals 91, then play it forward.
2. Take your average 5 iron yardage and multiply by 36 and that will give you a typical course yardage in which to play from. If you hit a 5 iron 186 multiplied by 36, equals 6696, thus the course yardage tees you should be comfortable playing from.

Regardless of which tees you play, there is no such thing as a senior tee, ladies tee, or men's tee per say, it is correct to identify them at the forward, middle, back, or championship tees.

Anyhow, if you're playing a 915 and Pro V1 then you should have the distance to play anywhere! : P

I think you continue to play the tees you enjoy. Age should not be a determining factor for automatic changes in tees. The overwhelming majority of golfers play tees that are too long, as a result, they probably don't enjoy the game as they would if playing at a shorter yardage. I don't think anyone enjoys hitting hybrids and fairway metals into par fours all day. We have a 78 year old golfer at our club and he plays the white tees which plays 6300. He typically scores better than his age. In short, play the tees you enjoy.

Take the gift & there money. After you've "clocked them" a few times, you'll be asked to move back to the other tee. So enjoy it while it last!!!!

Sir...golf is meant to be enjoyable. I'd say play from wherever you derive the most joy. And I hope to be playing like you when I get to your age! What an inspiration!

Paul

Do what feels right to you. I get this situation weekly. Mens tees or senior tees. I try to keep play moving, depends who I am playing with.

Let's be honest the game is hard enough. You have a handicap and there is a system in place for competition from different tees. You should be playing from the tee that allows you to reach most holes in regulation. So why not move up a tee. More birdie putts means more birdies. More birdies means more fun.

My point this discussion is this: The game still needs to be fun! When I went north of 60 years old, I fell into a regular 4sum on Sundays. I soon found out there was resistance to moving up a tee or 2. So a few weeks in I suggested that we might move up to blue tees which are like 5900 yards. I pointed out that I was tired of trying to hit greens from 200 yards all day with a 5 wood. We played one round like that and never looked back. My index has not come down radically. (one still has to get it in the hole) and everyone is having more fun. Birdies are again possible and trying to find the green from 150-160 is so much more fun. My 10 cents..... Move up! Cheers DT

It's too bad it is age 70. There are lots of golfers that lose enough distance before then that have to struggle to play 6600 yards. I struggle over 6200 yards. It is my observation that guys that don't want to play with me if I'm on the whites don't want to play with me from the blues since I'm consistently 1 shot behind them. I have more fun when I can play the whites and can have my drive land with the young guns' drives from the tee box back. You'll need to decide if you enjoy not using your mid-irons or want to move up to be able to attack a few pins with an iron.

We have various tees at my club, and I am in my 40's...

I have a choice of Member Tees (about 6,300), Blue Tees (about 6,800) or Gold Tees (about 7,250). Of course my handicap is different between all three tee boxes but I weekly play on all three sets depending on "who" I play with and the course conditions/weather.

Bottomline, play whatever tee box you feel comfortable given the situation. I think you could play both and not have any issue!

I would consult with your playing partners. If they are ok with and you are comfortable with, by all means, move up

Hello Carl, this is a great question and one that has surfaced within our club over the past year or so. We have a similar "unwritten rule" as well. We have a set of GOLD tees that is forward from our other White and Blue tees. The intent of these tees was to continue to allow golfers an opportunity to either reach fairways on a more consistent basis, or to allow golfers to reach more holes in regulation, opposed to getting close and forcing a great 3rd or 4th shot to be more precise in order to make a one-putt par.
We have had a great level of success with this movement and I know that a few of the folks who have moved to these tees felt uncomfortable at first, feeling that other were looking at them differently, but I believe this was quickly overcome as the group of folks who in fact did move up to the forward tees, have been having a much better experience during their rounds. They are now able to clear more obstacles that were once directly in a landing area and they have been scoring pars or better on a much more regular basis, but most of all, their rounds are up from last year, and the group has started to expand.

In my opinion Carl, you could become a trend setter for your club and lead the pack on enjoying and prolonging your golfing experiences utilizing the forward set of tees.

Best of luck to you and I hope you let us know how things go.

Have a great season and good luck hitting more greens in regulation!

Hey Carl, I'm 68, pushing the next number. I've been playing from either the Senior's or sometimes the Lady's tees. I check scorecards and play from 5 to 6,000 yards. Its more fun, period. I can hit my 4 iron pretty good for a shot to the green but I'd rather be playing a 7.

Don't worry about the tee's. Play the tees from the 5 to 6,000 yards. That's about the yardage for Senior Amateur tournaments run by the USGA.

Well have fun buddy. Win some money as a Senior.

Carl play to your comfort level...I play with a few guys that are in their 70's and still play the regular tees at around 6500 yards...I usually play the back tees and it makes for a really fair game. I would play the tees you feel more comfortable at you can always mix it up to see where best play at.

Hit them Straight!

Dr.K